This is a U.S. based position. All of the programs we support require U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment. All work must be conducted within the continental U.S.
Please use this link (https://www.videoask.com/f21dznuya) to submit a brief video (approximately 1 minute) alongside your application that covers:
- Your Education: What you studied, where, and what excited you most about your program.
- Your Work Experience: Any internships, co-ops, part-time roles, or meaningful projects - and what you learned.
- Your Team Experience: A specific example of working on a team, your role, and how you contributed to a successful outcome.
Who We Are:
Raft (https://TeamRaft.com) is a customer-obsessed non-traditional defense tech company dedicated to empowering U.S. military and government agencies with cutting-edge AI/ML and data solutions. We are a leader in autonomous data fusion and Agentic AI, with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development. With headquarters in McLean, VA, our range of clients includes innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting-edge tech stack, and cloud-native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans.
About the Role:
As a Data Engineering Intern at Raft, you’ll play a hands-on role in enhancing our Data Fabric by onboarding open-source datasets to enrich our out-of-the-box catalog. This role is ideal for someone passionate about data and eager to explore how diverse datasets can drive insight and value. You’ll work with our data engineering team to integrate new datasets, showcase “the art of the possible” with data, and contribute to a robust, enriched data catalog that supports advanced analytics and discovery.
What we are looking for:
- Passion for data engineering and working with open-source datasets.
- Basic knowledge of data integration and ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes.
- Familiarity with Python, SQL, or similar tools for data manipulation and analysis.
- Understanding of data structures, databases, and version control tools (such as Git) for collaborative projects.
- Ability to collaborate with team members to onboard and enrich datasets in our Data Fabric environment.
- Analytical skills to assess dataset quality and relevance for catalog enrichment.
- Currently enrolled in a Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, or related degree program.
- U.S. citizenship is required due to potential exposure to sensitive government-related work.
Highly Preferred:
- Interest in cloud-based data platforms and big data technologies.
- Eagerness to learn about data catalogs and data discovery tools.
- Familiarity with Agile methodologies and adaptability to a fast-paced environment.
- Strong communication skills to effectively share insights and project outcomes within the team.
- Curiosity and enthusiasm for exploring new datasets and discovering new applications of data.
Work Type:
- Location: Onsite at Raft HQ in McLean, VA
- Duration: June to August 2027
- Hours: Part-time, up to 40 hours per week
- Compensation: $20 - $24 per hour, based on experience and qualifications.
Our Vision Statement:
We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission.
Our Customer Obsession:
We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.
How do we get there?
Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking, and collaboration is a norm.
Raft’s core philosophy is Ubuntu: I Am, Because We are. We support our “nadi” by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration.
We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
Skills Required
- Passion for data engineering and working with open-source datasets
- Basic knowledge of data integration and ETL processes
- Familiarity with Python, SQL, or similar tools for data manipulation and analysis
- Understanding of data structures, databases, and version control tools such as Git
- Ability to collaborate with team members on dataset onboarding and enrichment
- Analytical skills to assess dataset quality and relevance
- Currently enrolled in a Data Science, Computer Science, Engineering, or related degree program
- U.S. citizenship
- Interest in cloud-based data platforms and big data technologies
- Eagerness to learn about data catalogs and data discovery tools
- Familiarity with Agile methodologies and adaptability to a fast-paced environment
- Strong communication skills for sharing insights and project outcomes
- Curiosity and enthusiasm for exploring new datasets and applications of data
What We Do
Raft is a digital consulting firm with niche expertise in the rapid delivery of modern, user-first, scalable, and data-intensive digital solutions. We accelerate the missions of our federal partners through human-centered design (HCD) and agile development practices, bringing deep technical expertise in DevSecOps, Kubernetes management, cloud-native microservice architectures, and secure, open source delivery. We put our people and our culture first. We work with some of the smartest, hardest working experts in their field. We owe it to them to make sure our team is free of meaningless restrictions and internal politics so they can focus on what they love, finding innovative solutions. We build off the Open-Source and resist vendor lock in. That way you’re not paying us to reinvent the wheel, our solutions play nice with others and are always adaptable. We know digital innovation doesn’t always operate during bank hours, so neither do we. (It's also why we don’t dress like bankers.) We aren’t afraid to go the extra mile or put in the extra time to find a solution. We get it right the first time; we won’t waste our time (and your money) trying to fix something that’s fundamentally broken. It’s kind of like making an exceptional cup of coffee, if the beans are roasted wrong, it doesn’t matter how much pumpkin spice you dump in your cup, it’s still not going to taste great. And above all else we’re up for a challenge; it’s in our DNA. Ask us about something that’s never been done, or better yet something that can’t be done, and we’ll find a way to do it. It’s just who we are. If you need a partner that’s looking toward the future and not the past, don’t go traditional, go Raft.
Why Work With Us
Raft partners with public agencies to solve hard complex problems that impact the lives of millions of Americans. We work hard to make it easy for humans to connect with data.
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